What is Behaviour Support?
At Connect2Care, our Behaviour Support Practitioners work with our clients, their families and support networks to understand the purpose of their behaviour and develop practical, personalised strategies that build independence, improve wellbeing, and create more supportive everyday environments.
Behaviour Support is designed to:
- Understand behaviours of concern
- Reduce risk and improve safety
- Build skills and independence
- Improve quality of life
Our Behaviour support practitioners use a Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) approach which means we don’t just look at behaviour we look at the whole person, including:
- Health and wellbeing
- Understanding individual needs
- Building skills and independence
- Making supportive environmental changes
- Reducing behaviours of concern over time
This approach is evidence-based, person-centred, and designed to support both the individual and their support network.
How Can Behaviour Support Help?
Behaviour Support may help if you or someone you support is experiencing:
- Aggression or physical behaviours
- Self-injury
- Property damage
- Emotional regulation challenges
- Withdrawal or shutdown
- Unsafe or impulsive behaviours
Our focus is to:
- Reduce behaviours of concern
- Replace them with safer, more effective skills
- Support families, carers, and support teams
- Reduce or eliminate restrictive practices
Initial Consultation & Information Gathering
We meet with you, your family and support team to understand the person’s goals, daily routines and what matters most to them, which includes conducting relevant assessments.
Functional Behaviour Assessment
Our practitioner observes, interviews and collects data across all settings to understand the “why” behind the individual’s behaviour. This comprehensive assessment drives an individualised, targeted plan with strategies unique to the individual and their environments.
Interim Behaviour Support Plan
In some cases, an interim BSP is put in place quickly to keep the person and others safe while the full assessment is completed. Where restrictive practices are in use, this plan is lodged with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, which is an NDIS requirement. If required, an interim BSP will be completed within 1 month of engagement.
Comprehensive Behaviour Support Plan
A full NDIS Commission-compliant plan is developed with you — covering proactive strategies, skill building, and a clear roadmap to reduce and eliminate any restrictive practices. This will be completed within 6 months of engagement.
Training Your Support Team
We coach family members, support workers and educators in your real-world settings — so strategies are applied consistently everywhere, from day one.
Review and Progress Monitoring
The plan is formally reviewed at least annually, measuring progress on restrictive practice reduction and quality of life outcomes. Plans are updated and re-lodged with the NDIS Commission as required.
The C2C Edge: Whole-Team Support Under One Roof
At C2C, your Behaviour Support Plan can be implemented by a whole team working alongside each other, every step of the way. When our PBS specialists develop strategies, our Occupational Therapists are right there delivering sensory regulation programs and environmental modifications that make those strategies work in practice. Our Speech Pathologists build the communication skills that give a person new ways to express their needs — reducing the behaviours that were doing that job before. Our Psychologists work on the emotional regulation and mental health foundations that sit beneath the surface. Our Physiotherapists address pain, fatigue, and physical discomfort that can trigger or escalate behaviour. And our Dietitians support the health and nutritional factors that quietly shape mood, energy, and behaviour every single day.
This isn’t a referral network — it’s one team, with one shared goal, meeting your family where you are. For the people we support, that means strategies that are consistent, connected, and far more likely to create lasting change.
How does our Behaviour Support Process Look?
1. Assessment
We complete a comprehensive assessment to understand:
- Triggers and patterns of behaviour
- Communication needs
- Sensory and environmental factors
- Medical, emotional, and social influences
2. Behaviour Support Plan (BSP)
Our Behaviour Support Practitioners will use the information to develop a personalised plan that includes:
- Proactive strategies to help understand, manage, and reduce challenging behaviours
- Skill-building supports for implementing providers and the clients support network.
- Environmental changes and suggestions to help manage and reduce behaviours of concern.
- Safe response strategies for implementing providers and others involved in the client’s care.
3. Implementation & Training
We don’t just write a plan — we support you and your support team to use it.
We work with families and carers, support workers, schools and other professionals involved in the clients care to ensure that the Behaviour Support Plan is understood and implemented in order to support the individual and reduce challenging behaviours.
4. Ongoing Support & Review
Our Behaviour Support Plans are reviewed in line with any changes to the client’s environment or circumstances and adjusted accordingly to ensure they remain relevant and beneficial in supporting the individual.
Any Behaviour Support Plan with restrictive practice will be reviewed every 12 months in line with NDIS guidelines.
FAQs
What Is Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) and how does it work?
Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) is an evidence-based, person-centred approach that helps individuals understand what is driving challenging behaviours. A qualified PBS practitioner works closely with the person, their family, and support team to identify what’s driving a behaviour, create a tailored Behaviour Support Plan, and teach everyone involved how to respond in consistent, compassionate ways.
Unlike traditional behaviour management, PBS is proactive, not punitive. It focuses on building skills, improving quality of life, and changing environments so that challenging behaviour becomes unnecessary.
What are behaviours of concern?
A Behaviour of Concern (sometimes called challenging behaviour) is any behaviour that puts the person or others at risk of harm, or significantly impacts their quality of life. Common examples include aggression, self-injurious behaviour, property destruction, or social withdrawal.
Crucially, all behaviour is a form of communication. When someone doesn’t have the words or skills to express an unmet need — like pain, frustration, or a desire for connection — they may communicate through behaviour instead.
How do I get NDIS funding for Positive Behaviour Support (PBS)?
Positive Behaviour Support is funded through your NDIS plan under the Capacity Building budget, specifically the “Improved Relationships” support category (CB Daily Activity). This funding is designed to help participants build skills and improve their relationships with others through specialist behaviour support.
To access this funding, speak with your NDIS planner or Local Area Coordinator (LAC) and request that Improved Relationships support be included in your next plan. If behaviour support is already a documented need, your plan may already include this funding.
Not sure what’s in your plan? Contact us for a free consultation — we can help you understand your funding and whether PBS is the right fit for your goals.
What Is a Behaviour Support Plan (BSP)?
A Behaviour Support Plan is a personalised document developed by a qualified Behaviour Support Practitioner. It outlines strategies to understand and reduce behaviours of concern while improving quality of life, independence, and wellbeing.
Who can access behaviour support Under the NDIS?
Behaviour Support is typically funded under the Improved Relationships category and must be delivered by a NDIS-registered provider.
What is a Functional Behaviour Assessment (FBA)?
A Functional Behaviour Assessment (FBA) is the investigative foundation of every Behaviour Support Plan. Think of it as the “detective phase” — before we can change a behaviour, we need to understand why it’s happening.
During an FBA, your PBS practitioner will gather information through observations, interviews with the person and their support network, and data collection. We look at what happens before the behaviour (antecedents), the behaviour itself, and what happens after (consequences) to identify the function it serves — whether that’s avoiding something overwhelming, seeking attention, or communicating discomfort.
This assessment is what makes PBS so effective: when you understand the “why,” you can create targeted, compassionate strategies that actually work.
What is the difference between a behaviour support plan and a regular therapy plan?
A Behaviour Support Plan (BSP) is a legally regulated document required by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission whenever a participant engages in behaviours of concern.
Unlike a general therapy plan, a BSP outlines specific strategies for everyone in the person’s life to follow consistently — including support workers, family members, and educators. It documents any restrictive practices in use, sets clear goals to reduce or eliminate them, and is subject to formal review and reporting obligations.
We provide comprehensive carer and support worker training as part of every plan, so your whole team is confident and equipped to implement strategies correctly from day one.
Can PBS reduce the use of restrictive practices?
Yes — and this is one of the primary goals of Positive Behaviour Support. The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission requires that all Behaviour Support Plans include strategies specifically aimed at reducing and ultimately eliminating restrictive practices such as physical restraint, chemical restraint (when medication is used to control behaviour), environmental restraint, mechanical restraint, and seclusion.
Restrictive practices are only ever considered as a last resort and must be the least restrictive option available. Through PBS, we work proactively to address the underlying causes of behaviour so that restrictive practices are no longer needed — protecting both the dignity of the individual and the safety of their support team.
Our practitioners are fully registered with the NDIS Commission and experienced in supporting complex needs while maintaining full regulatory compliance.
Do you provide mobile/in-home PBS services?
Yes — we provide mobile, in-home Positive Behaviour Support services. We believe that effective behaviour support happens in real life, which is why our practitioners come to you — whether that’s your home, school, day program, or community setting.
Seeing behaviour in the natural environment gives us far richer insights than a clinic ever could, and it means your support team receives training and coaching in the exact settings where they need it most.
Do families and support workers get involved?
Yes — Behaviour Support is most effective when everyone involved is working together.
Practitioners provide guidance and training to families, carers, and support workers to ensure strategies are consistent and effective.
